I’m a staff photographer at the Houston Chronicle shooting and producing both still and moving images in the nation’s fourth-largest city.

I was born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico where color and beauty were a natural part of my upbringing in a country hamlet. Homeschooled through much of my formative years, my mother transformed our jungle-like environment into a classroom. I entered college young, at just 17, determined to study, of all things, human behavior as a psychology major.

Before I could finish, however, life took me to Florida, 14 years ago. I enrolled at the local college to finish my degree and indulged in an elective photography class. But the idea of making photography my career seized my heart.

After three years at Gannett’s Democrat & Chronicle, I accepted the opportunity to work in Houston just as the Chronicle was entering a new era.

Awards List:

Finalist: Pulitzer Prize - Public Service - April 2017Winner: Public Service Award: Scripps Howard Foundation - March 2017Winner: The Charles E. Green Awards (2016) - Tapb and Tapme Best online packageSecond Place: APME (Texas) Best Video under two minutes - March 2017Third Place: APME (Texas) Best Video under two minutes - March 2017 Winner: Sigma Delta Chi Award for Public Service Journalism for "Denied"Third Place: Star Photojournalist of the Year (Class 4A) - March 2016Honorable Mention: NPPA Best of Photojournalism - 2016